Don’t drive home for lunch, mayor tells LMC officials

Lucknow: Lucknow Municipal Corporation officials have been instructed to bring tiffin boxes from home instead of travelling back to their residences during lunch break. They were also directed to reduce use of vehicles assigned to officials as part of efforts to curb unnecessary fuel consumption.The instruction is part of a wider fuel conservation drive initiated by mayor Sushma Kharkwal, who, in a letter to municipal commissioner Gaurav Kumar, directed that one out of two official vehicles allowed to each official be withdrawn immediately. She said official vehicles should be assigned only to those officers whose entitlement is specified under govt rules.To set an example, Kharkwal has also ordered withdrawal of one of the two vehicles attached to her own office.The mayor said the decision aligns with Prime Minister’s appeal during his address in Vadodara on May 10, urging citizens to reduce dependence on imported fuels such as petrol and diesel due to the prevailing global situation and developments in West Asia.She asked the municipal commissioner to ensure strict compliance with the directives and submit an action taken report, along with a list of officers and engineers entitled to official vehicles under the prescribed rules. According to officials, deployed vehicles are leased from private operators. Around 55 SUVs and MUVs have been allotted to officials entitled for official vehicles.